Star Wars Infinites: Episode III
by InvictusRex
Summary: AU story where Anakin accepts Palpatine's first offer, allowing them to plan out the fall of the Jedi, changing the circumstances of the Star Wars Saga. I do not own Star Wars.
1. The Beginning

"Use my knowledge, I beg you." The Chancellor said, circling the young Jedi knight. "Only through me, will you have the power to save Padme."

"What did you say?" Anakin questioned, igniting his lightsaber. "You're the Sith Lord."

The Chancellor's office suddenly became cold, and Anakin could feel the dark presence emanating from the Republic's leader. He couldn't believe that his friend, his mentor, a man he trusted, could be the very thing he swore to destroy. It brought everything he believed into question. He didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Yes," Palpatine said, glad to have finally revealed himself to his new apprentice. "I have worked for many years to undo the corruption in our galaxy. The Jedi claim to be guardians of peace and justice, but all they care about is protecting their outdated way of life. They distrust those who do not conform to their views. I fear they plan to betray you."

"How do you know that?" Anakin said, pointing his saber at the Sith. "You've orchestrated this entire war, haven't you? Why should I listen to you?"

"Because I can see the future. It is a skill the Jedi do not teach, but I have honed it over many years. The Jedi will try to destroy you, Master Kenobi will soon learn of your marriage. Then they will turn on you." Palpatine said, "Then they will turn on the Republic. I have done terrible things, my young friend. But I am working towards a better galaxy, free of corruption and useless bickering."

Anakin didn't know what to think. The Jedi had taught him that the Sith were evil, but Palpatine was offering him not only a way to save Padme, but an end to the stupid arguing that was keeping the republic from accomplishing anything. Besides, he was right. The Jedi were holding him back. Palpatine was right. What Palpatine was asking would be the biggest risk of his life.

Anakin sheathed his saber. "I will join you. You're right. The Republic needs to be changed. What must we do?"

Palpatine laughed, an evil cackle that made Anakin waver in his commitment. But whatever Palpatine was he was right.

"Kneel, young Skywalker." Palpatine said, and Anakin did so. "You are my apprentice. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth Vader. Rise, my apprentice."

Vader rose. The Republic fell.

TEN YEARS LATER

CORUSCANT

Vader stood in his bathroom, having just come out of the 'fresher. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he wondered, as he often did if he made the right choice. It had been ten years since he had helped the Emperor, his Master, overthrow the Republic. He himself had annihilated the Jedi. No one would say it in his presence, but they called him Betrayer. He did not care for what they called him, but had he really made the Republic a better place?

Vader did not have time for such thoughts. Getting dressed, he placed a glove over his robotic arm. Vader dressed in his ceremonial armor, black metal with red accents. Before he put it on, Vader stared at his mask. The skull-like face in the solid black metal served as a reminder of what he had done. He always wore it outside. No one saw his face but a certain few. Nor did they know the details of his horrible acts at the end of the Clone Wars.

Waiting outside was his escort, his trusty 501st troopers. Getting into his speeder he was driven to the Imperial Senate building by an old friend from the war.

"How are you today, sir?" Captain Rex said, sitting next to him, acting as his personal bodyguard. Vader kept him as a reminder of what he once was, and what he is now. Not to say that Vader didn't enjoy his newfound power and station as one of the most powerful men in the galaxy. He'd even saved Padme. But Vader still felt empty inside, as though he had lost his purpose. The hundreds of lanes of traffic darted around in the massive city. They all lived such simple lives, free of the horrors of war.

Arriving at the senate building, Vader exited the car, all the hustle and bustle turning to him and kneeling as the Sith Lord moved through the crowd. As he approached the Emperor's box, he was approached by none other than the woman of the hour, Padme Amidala. Vader and his ex-wife had a strained relationship at times, but they tried to keep it together for the twins.

"Hello, Vader." The former Queen of Naboo said. "How are things for the famous Sith Lord?"

"Fine," Vader said, his mask deepening his voice and giving it a mechanical sound. "How are the children?" Vader used almost a whisper when discussing his young, which had been kept out of the public eye as much as possible to keep them away from the Emperor.

"They are doing well." Padme said.

"You are bringing them to the agreed location?" Vader asked, his voice filter betraying a small hint of concern.

"Yes, we will meet at the discussed location. I'll make sure no one follows me." Padme said.

"Good, now we have a ceremony to get to. We should not speak again after it." Vader's cape flew into the air behind him as he turned.

Entering the box, Vader found the Emperor, his friend who he had helped to overthrow the Republic, was seated at his throne, high above the Imperial Senate. Vader kneeled to the right of the ornate chair.

"Lord Vader," He said, turning slowly to face his apprentice. "I'm glad you could make it."

Palpatine had let his appearance decay, no longer needing to keep it, now that he was in near-total control.

"At long last, the Empire will be solidified." The Sith Lord said, "With the appointment of the final governor, the senate will have no power. We will truly have the peace and order we deserve."

"Yes, my Master." Vader said. "But our work is not done. Even now, there are whispers of rebellion. The Outer Rim is practically ready to burst."

"That is of no concern to me. After this, we shall have all the authority and freedom to crush anyone who threatens what we have worked so hard to achieve. Now," The Emperor said, standing up. "Let us get on with the ceremony."

Padme Amidala stepped forward onto the pedestal as it approached the Emperor's box. Vader did not understand why Palpatine would appoint her as a governor. She had been opposed to him since before the end of the war.

As the proceedings went on, Vader grew bored of the pomp and circumstance. He was anxious to leave, knowing that his children were waiting. Luke and Leia were one of the only things he allowed himself to be attached to from his life as Anakin Skywalker. Other than to be their father, Anakin was dead. Only Vader stood in his place.

After the ceremony was over and the celebration began, Vader left an hour after Padme, to ensure that they would be free of suspicion. Dismissing his guards, Vader took his personal speeder to his and Padme's old apartment. He still technically owned it, but he used it mainly as storage.

Docking the speeder at the bay, Vader left his mask behind, stepping out as the blond boy barreled into him. Vader smiled as he looked down at his son. Luke had grown a few inches since the last time Vader had seen him, and he was now up to Vader's waist.

The Sith Lord bent down to embrace his son, and was assaulted by another hug from his daughter. Vader greeted Leia, noting that she had lost one of her baby teeth. She too had grown. Vader was so happy to see his children again, he forgot he was a Sith. He forgot all his duties and responsibilities, all his power and all the horrible things he'd done. Right now, he was just their father.

Vader let himself relax as he spent time with his children. They told him all about their lives on Naboo, out in the Lake Country, where Padme had always planned for them to be. Leia enjoyed her peaceful life, but Luke was a very adventure seeking young boy. He'd begged his mother for a speeder bike and she had only got him one a month ago. He was so excited he'd crashed it into one of the great stone heads that populated the rolling fields of Naboo.

"Well, that certainly seems like quite an adventure." Vader said, sitting on the couch with his son. "I'll have to come and fix it sometime."

"Really?" Luke said. "Oh boy! That'd be the best! When can you come?"

"Probably not for a long time," Padme said, "A lot of planning goes into arranging these visits and we have to make sure…" A sound from the window cut her off.

Vader rose from the couch, pulling his lightsaber from his belt, but not yet igniting it. He cautiously moved towards the source of the noise, feeling an odd presence before he was thrown back. Standing to face his opponent, Vader ignited his lightsaber. Before him stood a man dressed in all black, with clawed gauntlets and a death mask. Taking a lightsaber from his belt, the mysterious man ignited it.

Vader promptly did the same, standing to defend his family. The Assassin relaxed his stance, calling on the Force to attack Vader. The Assassin let forth a blast of lightning, catching Vader off guard. Vader struck at his opponent, disoriented from the blast. The assassin dodged, cutting off Vader's mechanical right arm. Holding Vader in place with the Force, the Assassin approached his family.

Padme stood in front of her children, or child, as Luke was nowhere to be found. The Assassin stuck her down with a slash across the chest. Falling to her knees, Padme was unable to defend her daughter from the attacker, who promptly extinguished his saber and scooped up the screaming child with his now free hand, still holding Vader with the other.

The Sith Lord felt anger greater than he had ever felt, using it to break free of the Assassin's grasp. His hatred blinding him, Vader charged the man, only to have the mysterious Assassin sidestep him and launch him out the window with a very well timed blast of Force. He managed to hold on to the outcropping.

As Vader climbed back up into the room, the assassin left, making sure Padme was dead and taking Leia with him. Vader's anger faded, turning to grief at the loss of his daughter. He sank to his knees. Holding his head in his remaining hand, Vader began to weep. His anger returned, and he roared with the pain of his loss.

His grieving was interrupted by the small voice of his son. Vader turned, his eyes wet with tears. Luke was staring at the lifeless corpse of his mother. Tears had begun to well up in his eyes, and he stuttered out a single word.

"M… Mommy?" He said, his voice cracking with fear and sadness.

Vader stood, calming himself, channeling the rest of his emotion into cold rage, anger he could unleash later. He turned to his son, telling him the truth, and deciding not to spare his feelings.

"Your mother is dead my son. Murdered by one of my enemies. They have taken your sister, and I fear they are after you, too." Vader said, bending to one knee to be on eye-level with his son. "I need to figure this out, I am taking you to somewhere you can be safe, somewhere very far away from the empire. We'll need somewhere safe to hide while I make the travel arrangements. Come on, pack some of your things, then get in the speeder."

Luke did as he was told, as Vader removed the broken hand, replacing it with a spare he kept in the speeder. The Sith Lord and his son sped off from the apartment, heading for somewhere that had been abandoned for a long time. Approaching the old Jedi temple, Vader set down his speeder on one of the more secluded landing pads. Keeping his son close behind him, Vader walked the halls of the once lively temple.

The massive structure no longer held the serenity it once did, and Vader could feel the turmoil he'd created when he led the attack, ten years ago.

Vader felt an old presence, something vaguely familiar moving throughout the halls of the temple, circling him, and getting closer. Telling Luke to hide behind one of the pillars of the great hall they stood in, Vader drew his saber, turning to face his pursuer. From out of the shadows came the blades of not one, but two glowing green lightsabers.

The attacker had her face wrapped in a shroud, but Vader knew who it was immediately. She rushed him, twirling her lightsabers in a flurry of green light. Vader blocked every one of her strikes, but with another attack she managed to land a strike on his shoulder, but the durasteel armor kept it from doing any real damage. Several more sets of strikes were exchanged,

"I haven't practiced in quite a while," Vader said, bantering casually with his opponent. "Too many formalities come with being the second-in-command of the Empire."

"Your station is drenched in blood," The woman said, "Your death is near!"

She charged him once again, but he stepped to the side, swiping at her head with his saber. She screamed in pain, her lightsabers extinguishing as she dropped to the floor, gripping the side of her head.

Vader stood over his defeated enemy, extinguishing his own blade.

"I'm not as rusty as I thought, am I Snips?" Vader said, removing his mask to address his old padawan.

"You don't have the right to call me that. Not after what you've done. If you are going to kill me, then do so. If not, I have no words for you, Sith." Ahsoka said, removing her own cowl. Vader saw that he had sliced the tip off one of her lekku. It pained him for a second. But he was reminded of his situation by his son coming out of his hiding place.

"Dad, who is that?" Luke said, stepping into view of the Tortuga.

"She's someone I knew a long time ago, before you were born, my son." Vader said, watching for Ahsoka's reaction to the revelation of his son. As he suspected would happen, her eyes widened, then her brow furrowed as she began to try to figure out the situation.

"Padme was murdered just a few hours ago." Vader said, realizing quickly that his former apprentice could be an ally. "I suspect the Emperor himself was behind it. Why else would he appoint her as governor than to have her assassinated? The blame will most likely be placed on me, and I need to get offworld as soon as possible. Strike at me again if you wish, but know that I wiped out the Jedi to protect my family, nothing more."

Calling Luke to his side, Vader turned to leave. He was halfway down the walkway when the Tortuga called out to him. He turned to her, as she ran up to him.

"I will help you in memory of my master," Ahsoka said, refusing to look the Sith Lord in the eye. "I will get you offworld, but then we will part ways once more."

"Why are you helping me now?" Vader asked.

"I lost the last ten years of my life to vengeance and hatred." Ahsoka said, "But when I finally faced you, I was unable to do anything. I no longer have purpose. I fell victim to my hatred, but it was useless."

"It wasn't. You are just untrained, 'tis all." Vader said, not able to believe he was actually consoling the woman now. "Attempting to use the dark side without proper training is dangerous and stupid, especially going up against a Sith Lord. But you do show promise."

"I'll never use it again," Ahsoka said, her hand still on the cauterized tip of her lekku. "Now let us conclude our business together, so that we may ever see each other again."

Nodding, Vader took his son's hand, departing with his former padawan.

Deciding to take civilian transport instead of one of Vader's ships, the three boarded a transport to Tatooine, Vader had hoped to never see that planet again, but he had family there that could keep Luke safe. Wearing a loose coat to cover up his armor, as well as removing his mask, Vader blended in much better, as only a select few people still alive knew his face.

Sitting down in a private passenger compartment of the transport ship, finally able to catch their breath. Vader filled in his former padawan with the details of what had happened. Ahsoka was overcome with sadness to hear of Padme's death, and found herself feeling sympathy for the Sith Lord when he told her that his daughter had been kidnapped. Now that she saw him without the mask, Ahsoka wasn't so sure Anakin Skywalker was completely gone from him.

He had cut his hair short, wearing it like an Imperial officer. His skin was paler than before, a side effect of the dark side as well as always wearing that mask, she guessed. The most startling change was his eyes, now a permanent gold color. Other than that, he was basically the same. His scar had faded a bit, but it was still present under his left eye. He noticed her studying him, cocking a brow at his former apprentice.

"Staring is impolite, and were you anyone else, I'd probably kill you for it." Vader said, smirking. While it had darkened considerably, his sense of humor was mostly intact.

"Good thing I'm me then. Wouldn't want to kill someone in front of your kid." Ahsoka shot back.

Vader's smirk turned to a snarl, and Ahsoka smiled to herself, pleased she had made a good comeback.

Vader calmed himself. "We should get some sleep." He said. "I'll set the alarm to wake us up 20 minutes before we arrive."

The Sith Lord's son climbed into his arms, falling asleep like that. Vader soon followed. She was extremely put off to see the Sith Lord sleeping peacefully with his son. She didn't think it'd be possible. Keeping a watchful eye on her former master, Ahsoka drifted off into sleep herself, confused and cautious of Vader.

Awaking hours later, Vader found Ahsoka watching a holoscreen. Then news on Coruscant had broken. Darth Vader was a traitor to the Empire, having killed the Governor of Naboo. Scowling, Vader sat up to find that Luke was not next to him. Panicking for a second, Vader found that his son was seated next to Ahsoka, watching the news with her. Vader disapproved of his son so easily trusting her. Luke didn't know anything about the woman, but he was comfortable around her. Vader knew Ahsoka would never harm the child, but Luke didn't. He trusted her on principle, something that made Vader very nervous.

"We're making our final descent. We'll be in Mos Eisley in under 15 minutes." Ahsoka said. "We'll need to move quickly and carefully in order to avoid the Imperials. They're tightening security everywhere because of the assassination. We'll need to get out of the city as soon as possible."

Vader nodded, readying himself to exit the craft when it landed. Mask and lightsaber safely in the folds of his coat, Vader held his son's hand as the ramp opened. As the travelers poured out of the spacecraft, Vader's eyes were assaulted by the brightness of the twin suns on the sandstone buildings of the spaceport. Mos Eisley was buzzing with activity as is always was, thousands of aliens and smugglers hurrying to and fro from their ships. But something was off. When Vader was younger, the spaceport was always so full of life. Now Imperial troops regulated the flow, arresting every smuggler they could find. A worker attempted to sneak his way onto the ship against the flow, and when it appeared that he was home free, his head exploded with a violent _pop_.

A look of pure horror appeared on Vader's face. Images of a similar incident from his childhood flashed before his eyes. Luke was startled and terrified by the sudden death of the worker, and had begun to cry. Ahsoka looked to Vader, expecting him to comfort Luke. When he just stood there, Ahsoka knelt down and comforted the young boy. She looked up to scold Vader for not tending to his son's needs, but quickly remembered that no matter what he said, Vader was still Anakin Skywalker. He was still born a slave.

"We should get out of here." The Tortuga told the Sith Lord. Vader snapped out of his trance and quickly took his son's hand, moving through the spaceport, Ahsoka trailing behind him. Renting a speeder, the trio sped across the Dune Sea towards the Lars homestead.

Stepping out of the speeder, the Sith Lord was greeted by his half-brother, Owen. The younger man did not recognize him as Darth Vader, rushing to welcome him.

"Anakin!" He exclaimed, shaking the Sith Lord's hand vigorously as he approached. "It's been so long since I've seen you last. I thought you were killed in the Jedi Purge. "

"I still draw breath, Owen." Vader said, his tone of voice softening to a point Ahsoka hadn't heard in years. She kept watch over Luke while Vader explained the situation to Owen.

"We need a place to stay. The Empire knows I am alive. I hate to put you in danger, but could we stay here a few days?" Vader said, his voice still gentle.

"Sure. I'll go tell Beru." Owen said, running back into the home to tell his wife.

"Are you sure this will be safe for Luke?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes. I thought you said you would be leaving us now. Or have you decided to join me?" Vader said with a smirk.

"In your dreams laser-brain." Ahsoka shot back. "I want to make sure that Luke is safe. I'm staying for him, not for you."

Vader grunted a response, and the trio were let in. Vader took Owen to the side for a moment, discussing something with him in hushed tones. When they were done, they came into the kitchen and sat down with the Luke, Ahsoka and Beru for dinner.

Over the meal, Owen discussed with Vader the changes that had occurred on Tatooine over the last few months.

"Slavery was made legal again about 3 months back." Owen said between bites of food. "New captives are brought in with every Imperial ship that lands. No one knows why. One of the best things the Empire did was outlaw slavery."

Vader's fist clenched, and Owen looked at his half-brother sympathetically.

"I know this must be hard for you. I remember when you brought Mom back." He said.

Vader stood up from the table, storming out of the room in anger. Ahsoka excused herself from the table and followed him. She found the Sith Lord in the garage, putting on his armor and getting the landspeeder ready.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.

"I've an errand to take care of in Mos Eisley." He said. "I won't be long."

"You aren't going alone." Ahsoka said. "I need to make sure you won't leave and abandon Luke here."

"That was my plan, actually. I wanted to leave him somewhere safe while I find my other child and exact my vengeance. I hadn't planned on leaving him so soon. I will come back when I am done in Mos Eisley."

"I'm coming with you, Skyguy. You want me to join you? Fine. I'll do it to make sure you don't hurt Luke."

Vader nodded solemnly. Vader and his former apprentice took the speeder back into Mos Eisley, arriving in the spaceport at night. The Sith Lord made his way to the labor camp, anger radiating off of him. Ahsoka could feel it, but she decided against angering him further. Approaching the gate, the pair was stopped by the guards, a pair of stormtroopers.

"Do you have clearan…?" The trooper started, before clutching his throat, gurgling and coughing. His partner did the same, backing up against the wall, then sliding up it as Vader continued to choke them with the Force. After watching them suffer for a short while, Vader cleanly snapped their necks, throwing away their corpses. Pulling his saber from his belt, he ignited it, the red blade gleaming in the night. Raising his hand, the gate creaked on its hinges, force building up on it. It blew apart, allowing the renegade Sith Lord ingress to the yard. He put on his mask, the guards rushing at them as Ahsoka ignited her lightsabers.

Blocking a salvo of blaster bolts the two warriors sprinted at their opponents, using their momentum to launch themselves into the first wave of stormtroopers. Vader sliced through the armor and flesh of trooper, enjoying his scream as he fell. Cutting down several more stormtroopers, Vader and Ahsoka roused the attention of the camp's slave driver.

The fat, unpleasant looking man ordered the stormtroopers to stand down, holding a control remote in his hand as he walked towards the Sith Lord.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Vader." The Slave Driver said. "I was racking my brain trying to figure out why you'd attack here. You want the workforce, don't you? Well, that's just too bad. If you take another step towards me, I'll detonate all of them."

Vader's fist tightened, and he deactivated his lightsaber. He motioned to Ahsoka to deactivate her own lightsabers, both of them standing down, allowing the stormtroopers to surround them and take their sabers. The slave driver took a step towards them, a smug smirk on his face.

"Well then, _Lord Vader_ , let's wait while I call in you capture. I'm surprised you were stupid enough to risk capture over some worthless slaves." He said. Vader's fists tightened even more, and Ahsoka could feel a distinct crackling in the air. Vader put his arms out in front of him, bolts of jet blue lightning pouring from his arms into the slave driver, frying his controller and killing him instantly, his skeleton showing through his skin as the electricity poured into his body.

As Vader's outburst faded, the man's withered husk fell to the ground. Vader and Ahsoka grabbed their sabers back from the stormtroopers, slaughtering the rest of the guards. The slaves had come out of their bunkhouses to see what the commotion was, and found Vader on his knees, screaming at the top of his lungs, ignited saber gripped in a fist pointing to the sky. The confused slaves stared in awe at their savior, their liberator.


	2. The Spark

Stories of the Renegade Sith Lord spread across the galaxy. Laying low at the homestead for a while, Vader finally said goodbye to Luke. Kneeling down to look at him straight on, Vader focused on his son's blue eyes, unlike his mother's or Vader's own.

"I must leave you here, my son." He said, voice wavering. "You will be safe here. We may not meet again my son. Take this." Vader removed a charm necklace from around his neck, placing it in his son's hand. "I made this for your mother when I was just a boy. Remember us, and remember that we loved you."

Beru and Owen stood with the boy outside the homestead as Vader and Ahsoka departed. He wiped the tears from his eyes staring down at the charm on his neck. As the Sith and Jedi sped off to Mos Eisley, Ahsoka noticed Vader had begun to tear up as well, making the excuse that sand had gotten in his eyes.

Ditching the recognizable landspeeder near the outskirts of the city, the pair made their way to the cantina. There the would find passage to Vjun, one of Vader's stronghold worlds. Entering the Cantina, Vader and Ahsoka made sure to keep their hoods up as they milled about, looking for a captain. At the bar, they were approached by a Wookiee. He barked a greeting, then growled his business at them in hushed tones.

Vader did not understand Shriiwook, so Ahsoka translated.

He said that he was formerly a slave in the camp they liberated, and he swore a life-debt to them in return for his freedom. When asked his name, he responded with Chewbacca.

Vader nodded his head, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Are you a warrior, Chewbacca?" He asked. Chewbacca nodded. "Good, I have a great need for those. Now, Can you help us find a ship that will take two passengers to Vjun?"

Chewbacca growled worriedly, clearly wary of having to travel that far into Imperial space. He said that he knew of a ship that may be able to take them, offering to set up a meeting with its captain. Ahsoka graciously accepted for them.

Chewbacca made the call, and much to Vader's surprise a young man, maybe 19 or 20 years old met with them, claiming to be the captain of a ship that could take them.

"I'm Han Solo" He said. "Chewie here tells me you saved him from the slave camp, and you're looking for transport deep into Imperial territory. That'll cost you a little extra. 10,000, half in advance."

"Ten thousand?" Vader scoffed. "We could buy our own ship for that much."

"Yeah? And Who'd fly it?" Han asked. "You?"

"Don't underestimate me, boy." Vader seethed.

"Look, if you wanna get things through Imperial territories, I'm your guy. But if you wanna go at it yourself, be my guest."

"We'll pay you when we reach our destination." Vader said, coating his words with the power of the Force.

Solo flinched, then nodded.

"Docking bay D24. We'd better leave soon. Seems someone's interested in your handiwork."

Han pointed to a group of stormtroopers who came into the bar, asking questions about the Renegade Sith Lord and his apprentice.

"Ahsoka, go with them. Leave the troopers to me."

Ahsoka nodded, leaving with Han and Chewie while Vader rose, putting on his mask and flipping up his hood, and moved towards the side of the cantina where the troopers were questioning the patrons. Moving through the group, he purposely bumped one of them, causing the trooper to grab his shoulder.

Vader grabbed the trooper's arm, throwing him over his shoulder and slamming him on the floor. Smashing the white helmet with his boot, Vader turned to the rest of the group, igniting his crimson blade.

The panicked troopers raised their blasters at him, and it was clear they did not expect to actually encounter him.

"It's Vader!" One of them shouted, "Blast him!"

They opened fire, flashes of red streaking through the cantina as Vader deflected the bolts, quickly counterattacking each trooper with a heavy strike to the chest or neck. Within moments, the troopers were all dead, and Vader closed his blade. Looking around, he calmly proceeded out the door, removing his mask as he went, leaving the frightened patrons with a squad of dead stormtroopers.

Arriving at the D24 docking bay, Vader was greeted to the sight of a rusty, beaten up Corellian freighter.

"This is what we are paying ten thousand for!?" he yelled.

"It'll go .5 past lightspeed. She's old, but she has a few tricks up her sleeves. She's called the _Millennium Falcon._ Now if we could please get aboard, it's best if we…"

"SOLO!" An angry looking old man screamed as he stormed up to the _Falcon_. "I told you I didn't want to see you anywhere my ship again!"

"Well, uh. You see Captain Brennagh" Han stuttered.

"I'LL TURN YOU IN TO THE IMPERIALS FOR THIS!" The Captain screamed.

Vader, tired of the man's yelling and wary of the attention he would attract, attempted to calm the Captain down. When he would not cease his bellowing, Vader ignited his saber and cut Captain Brennagh down.

Han jumped back towards the _Falcon_ in shock, before Vader grabbed him by the collar and threw him off the ramp.

"I can fly this ship myself." Vader said to him. "Whatever you've done, the Imperials will not stop hunting you."

"Wait!" Han said. "I know this ship better than anyone! I can help you fly it! Please, take me with you!"

Chewie howled his preference for Han coming along.

Ahsoka turned to him, silently pleading with him to not leave the boy behind.

"Fine." Vader said. "I suppose you could be useful."

The group embarked on the _Falcon,_ leaving the planet's orbit and leaving Luke behind. Ahsoka felt Vader pushing down his sadness at leaving his son. As he moved into the cockpit, taking pilot's seat from Solo, Ahsoka couldn't help but feel sympathy for her former master.

They encountered no resistance as they left the system. Setting a course for Vjun, Vader followed Solo's guidance on how to take the _Falcon_ into hyperspace. Once they were away, Vader had Solo take him around the ship, explaining the way it worked.

"I worked on this ship as the mechanic for years. I've repaired her more times than you can count. Made a few special modifications as well." He explained, as he walked the renegade Sith Lord around the ship.

"It seems your employment was terminated on very unfriendly terms." Vader said.

"He found out about my trouble with the Empire." Han explained, scratching the back of his head.

"What trouble would that be?" Vader asked.

"Chewie said he swore a life debt to you, right? He's got one to me too. I saved his hide a few years back, and he got recaptured on Tatooine. The Captain and I had a disagreement on trying to bust him out. Now I guess we're all on the run."

Vader nodded, "Let us return to the cockpit."

As they approached Vjun, Vader explained to Ahsoka why it was so important that they reach that planet.

"My stronghold there, Bast Castle, it has many things that are useful to us. Credits, supplies, weapons. There are fabrication facilities there. I used the world as my own workshop. Once we are there, we can repair and reinforce it into something worth flying. It almost reminds me of that old ship we flew during the war. What was it called?"

"The _Twilight._ " Ahsoka responded, as they dropped out of hyperspace within the Vjun star system.

"Once we are there," Vader said, crossing is arms and stiffening, "I need you to contact several people for me. If my suspicions are correct, they will already be working together. Chief among them is Bail Organa."

"A Senator? Why do you want to talk to him?" Ahsoka asked.

"He is one of the Emperor's strongest opponents. He, Mon Mothma, and…" Vader paused, taking a deep breath to say the final name, "Padmé; they were all part of a political opposition to Palpatine's rise. They will not hear me out, but you are a different story. Now that I am a public enemy of the Empire, I have a plan to get my daughter back."

Ahsoka nodded, moving to the cockpit, where Solo informed her that they were making their landing approach.

The barren, acid-rain soaked world came up to meet them, as Han and Chewie brought the _Falcon_ down onto one of the landing pads of the massive castle. The rain would not eat away at the hull of the old ship, but it would burn through flesh. The two smugglers and the fallen Jedi moved swiftly under the canopies, but Vader moved at a slow deliberate pace, not seeming to care as the rain burned his clothes. Once he was under, Vader flipped a switch on a control panel, bringing the _Falcon_ down into the belly of the castle.

Vader opened the doors for them, entering the castle, moving much more swiftly now, his coat swishing behind him like a cape. Han, Chewie and Ahsoka jogged to catch up to the Sith Lord, as he maneuvered through the corridors of the massive castle. Finally, he stopped inside a large, well-furnished room turning to the two smugglers.

"Now, Captain Solo, you have two options." Vader said. "You can either stay here and aid us in our plans, of find yourself some way off this planet. I have taken ownership of the _Millennium Falcon,_ and can fly it myself. I can assure you payment if you join up with me."

Solo considered his options. He had a hushed conversation with Chewbacca. Turning to the Sith Lord, putting on a façade of bravado in an attempt to mask his fear, he counteroffered.

"Let me be captain of the _Falcon,_ and you've got a deal." He said, crossing his arms in an attempt to project finality.

Vader chuckled at the young man's attempt to hide his fear, and found himself admiring his bravery.

"That is fair enough, _Captain_ Solo." Vader said, his voice filter sending a chill down Han's spine.

"Yes, _my Lord_ " Han said, sarcastically.

The sound of clacking metal feet made the captain turn. A protocol droid with a gold finish approached them.

"Greetings, I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. I have been instructed to show you to your quarters, if you will follow me, please, Captain Solo, Chewbacca."

The two former smugglers followed the gold-plated droid out of the room, and Vader allowed himself to relax a bit, plopping down on one of the couches and removing his mask.

"It's been a hectic few days, huh?" Ahsoka asked, sitting down on a couch opposite to him.

Vader rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. "We can catch our breath for a while. I will need to begin massing forces. It will not be easy to challenge the Emperor."

Ahsoka nodded. "First I want some answers. I want to know about Luke and Leia, and… I want to know why you betrayed the Jedi."

Vader sighed, hanging his head. He told her about Padme, his visions, and Palpatine's offer. He told her about how the Jedi asked him to spy on the Chancellor, and how he turned against them. He did not mention it to her, but the resentment he felt over the Council's harsh treatment of her was one of the things that led to his betrayal.

"Now that you know, will you still help me?" Vader asked, his yellow eyes searching hers for sympathy he knew he didn't deserve. With a sigh, Ahsoka nodded her head, deciding that her former master still had some good left in him, otherwise he wouldn't regret his actions.

"Good. Would you like me to show you to your quarters?" Vader asked.

"I most certainly would. Sleeping in a real bed is something I have been looking forward to for a long time." Ahsoka said.

"Then that it what you can do. If you will follow me, I will show you your chambers."

Ahsoka followed Vader, who surprisingly did not put his mask back on, down the hall.

Her chamber, she found, was twice the size of any sleeping quarter at the Jedi Temple. She was amazed by how large and well-furnished the room was. As she stepped into the room, Vader said from behind her.

"Get some rest, we begin training in the morning."

Vader left the room, and Ahsoka settled in and meditated before going to sleep. Calling Solo and Chewbacca to the command center, Vader began to work out his plan.


	3. The Void

Emperor Palpatine, Dark Lord of the Sith, was not pleased.

Vader had escaped with one of his twin children, throwing a wrench into Palpatine's plans for the children. Gliding along the halls of the facility, flanked by his Royal Guards, the Emperor came to speak with his High Inquisitor, the one who carried out the assassination of Governor Amidala.

The doors opened with a _hiss_ , and Palpatine's nose was filled with the stench of burning flesh and hot metal. The High Inquisitor had his back to the door, and was strapped down on a table. He was grunting in pain as pair of droids, medical and repair, worked on his cybernetics.

"My Lord," He said in a synthesized voice.

"You have failed me again. What shall we remove from you this time?" The Emperor said with a hint of disdain.

"Take my left eye, my lord. With a cybernetic one I would not have missed the other child." The High Inquisitor said, before groaning loudly as the medical droid cauterized his flesh.

"Good… I see you understand your failure and wish to become stronger for it, droids, remove his left eye."

The Medical droid beeped a reply, before selecting a scalpel tool. The High Inquisitor balled his mechanical hand into a fist out of habit, even though the action would not spare him any of the pain to come.

He screamed as the eye was removed, and the repair droid hastily searched for a replacement in their supply of parts. One was found, a circular yellow oculus that was too big for the socket. The medical and repair droids worked together, carefully shaving away bone and setting up optic ports, then finally installing the new eye.

Breathing heavy from the pain, the High Inquisitor looked at his master with the new, glowing eye, seeing confusing readouts of his life signs.

"I will not fail you again, my master." He said, wincing as the droids finished their work.

"I should hope not. I have a new mission for you." The Emperor said. "The Skywalker girl must begin her training. Are you up for the challenge? Or is training a child too much for you?"

"No, my master. She will become a fine Inquisitor."

"No! She is not to be an Inquisitor. She will be my apprentice. I am unable to train her now because I have… other concerns."

"Yes, my master."

"Good, begin training her immediately, so that we can see what kind of weapon she can become."

The High Inquisitor bowed to his master, and Palpatine left the room. Travelling back to the ruins of the Jedi Temple, which he had decided to have made into the Imperial Palace, Palpatine dismissed his guards and retired to his chambers. Shedding his black hooded robe, Palpatine collapsed into his chair. Rubbing his tired eyes, he looked down at his gnarled, twisted hands. He was wrong, as he feared. The Dark Side was too powerful even for his mortal body to contain. Decades of being immersed in it was tearing his body apart. Running his hands through his white hair, he sighed as bundles of it came out with his fingers.

He coughed, before deciding he would meditate at the site of the Jedi Temple's greatest secret: The ancient Sith Shrine underneath it. He smirked as he thought of the foolish arrogance of the Jedi. Their belief that light could snuff out the darkness had given them the audacity to build their temple on top of the site, but it clouded their vision, allowing him to rise to power.

He entered the minds of the guards and construction workers, making himself invisible to them, and made his way down to the very bottom levels of the palace. Soon, he came across the entrance to the shrine, feeling it bathe him in the power of the Dark Side. He felt new life flow into his tired old body as he stepped inside.

Kneeling down at the center of the shrine, he let the Dark Side consume him completely, feeling his mind float about in the mass of twisting, violent energy. As he meditated on the nature of the Dark Side, he remembered a technique his master had told him about. This power would allow him to drain the life from another being in order to sustain his own.

 _Imagine sucking dry an entire planet_ the Void whispered to him.

Sidious' meditation was broken by the sudden communication, and he was perturbed by the voice in the Force. He continued his meditation, calling out to the voice in the inky blackness.

 _It is possible to drain the life of an entire planet, my friend._ The Voice called again, but this time Sidious did not flinch. He asked the Voice what it was, and it responded:

 _I am an Echo from the past, the spirit of a Sith long dead. I must say your conquering of the Republic from within was most impressive._

Sidious found himself flattered by the Voice's compliment. He asked it more questions, and the Voice responded. Sidious was shocked and amazed to learn that there were secrets of the Dark Side even he did not know. He gained much new information from the Voice, including how to drain the life from dozens of individuals at a time.

Armed with this new knowledge, Palpatine decided to visit one of the prison facilities on Coruscaunt. Looking over the yard with the Warden from a balcony high above, Palpatine reached down with the Force, searching for the strongest life forces to steal. Selecting his prey, Palpatine began to siphon their energy from them, causing his targets to fall to their knees, gripping their chests. As the Warden began to panic, Palpatine began to chuckle as he felt their energy flow into him, strengthening his own life.

The prisoners, one by one began to fall, hitting the floor with a dull _thud, thud, thud_ … Palpatine cackled as they died, feeling 15 years younger. And he looked it too, his hands were no longer gnarled and twisted. His laughter faded, and he thanked the warden for his time, before departing.

Returning to his chambers at the Palace, Palpatine rubbed his head, amazed to find hair no longer falling out. Looking in the mirror, he found that it had returned to gray, and some of his wrinkles had disappeared. His eyes were still sunken and yellow, but that was of no concern to him. His body was on the way back to youth and virility.

He locked himself in the shrine, continuing to learn the secrets the Echo could teach him.

Ahsoka crept through the halls of Bast Castle. She was trying to find Vader. Solo and Chewbacca had seen him heading towards the far side of the castle. She sent a wave out through the Force, finding him in a communications room. He had left the door open, so she heard him speaking with someone. She could see only a hood in the hologram, and she assumed the worst.

"The boy is with my family on Tatooine." Vader said. "You can go get him at your leisure."

Ahsoka couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was turning his own son over to the Emperor! She tore open the door, her sabers igniting with the familiar _snap-hiss._ She lunged at Vader, who dodged her swipe, stepping back from his obviously enraged apprentice.

"Ahsoka! By the force is that really you?" The hooded figure said, throwing his hood back. The holographic face of Obi-wan Kenobi stared up at her.

"Master Kenobi? You're alive!?" Ahsoka said, shocked.

"Confused, Snips? Let me clear some things up." Vader said. "The outcome of our duel on Mustafar was a deception. Obi-wan and I decided on that day that when Palpatine eventually betrayed me, we would need to overthrow him. So we parted ways, and he had been secretly training Jedi warriors ever since.

Ahsoka had trouble grasping what she had just been told. Not only was Obi-wan alive, but he was starting to rebuild the Jedi order with Vader's approval? She came to realize that Vader was a much different beast than Anakin was. Whereas Anakin was straightforward and easy to understand, Vader armored his intentions, wrapping as thick a black cloak around them as he did himself. Upon realizing this, Ahsoka determined that if she found her way to the core of Darth Vader, she'd get her old friend back.

"Of course, Jedi aren't the only soldiers we'll have." Vader said, ending his communication with Obi-wan and asking Ahsoka to follow him to one of the castle's warehouses. On the door were three letters: 501. Ahsoka became hopeful, memories flooding her mind of the battles fought with brave Captain Rex and the rest of the 501st legion. Then she remembered the attack on the temple, in which they slaughtered her Jedi brothers and sisters. She was glad Rex had stepped down as leader of the 501st by then.

Vader opened the doors, revealing exactly what she expected. The entire 501st legion, frozen in carbonite.

"The most elite legion of troops in both the Old Republic and the Empire." Vader said. "Far more loyal to me than to the Emperor. They never said anything about you, but they'll be glad to see you. The biochips have been removed. They no longer obey Order 66."

"I'm glad to see them. Is Rex here?" Ahsoka asked him.

Vader shook his head. "He was with me on Coruscant. I don't know what happened to him."

Ahsoka was disappointed, hoping to see her old friend again.

Suddenly, alarms blared all throughout the castle. They were under attack.


	4. The Fire

The automated defenses fired up at the attacking fleet, an Imperial strike force consisting of an _Imperial-_ class Star Destroyer and several smaller frigates. They fleet bombarded Vjun, shots slamming against the castle's shields. Vader strode to the controls and started the thawing process, freeing the soldiers from their slumber. Upon awakening, many of them expressed shock and joy at seeing Ahsoka, before being ordered to gear up by Vader.

"I leave them in your command," He said to his Apprentice. "There is something I must prepare."

Vader left, his coat swishing behind him as he went, disappearing from view. Not long after, Solo and Chewbacca came rushing in, asking what the situation was. Ahsoka told them, ordering him to get to his ship. Han quickly turned and ran to the Falcon, Chewie growling and lumbering after him. Ahsoka ordered her troops to the castle's defenses, and gunner crews ran to their stations. Ahsoka found the command center, and instantly she felt like it was old times again. Turbolaser fire struck up at the sky as much as it rained down, And Ahsoka smiled as she was told two of the frigates had been brought down.

As she had suspected, the Imperials began sending ground troops to take the castle after their bombardment failed.

"Primary defensive positions! All fighter pilots scramble!" Ahsoka yelled just as the room was rocked by a huge explosion from the south, the other side of the castle.

" _Imperial troops have entered the base, Imperial troops have entered the b…"_ The comm fizzled out, and Ahsoka cursed under her breath. _How did they get through so quickly?_ She thought.

"Lieutenant Boro, take command. I will assist in driving out our invaders." Ahsoka said, sprinting out of the room. The Lieutenant took her place and began issuing orders to his men.

Ahsoka was able to get to the south side relatively quickly, her Jedi speed and coordination helping her overcome her unfamiliarity with the castle. She approached the barricade full tilt, somersaulting over it and pulling her lightsabers from her belt. The Stormtroopers flinched upon hearing the _snap-hiss_ , but four of them began to fire on her at once. She reflected two bolts back at her attackers, managing to hit one. She then dodged the blaster fire from the remaining three, kicking off the wall and decapitating a second. She kicked the third in the helmet, slamming him into the last and sending them both tumbling to the ground. She had put the Force in her kick, so it was enough to kill the recipient, but she heard the final trooper still stirring feebly. She raised him up with the Force, feeling pity as he choked and gagged. She drove her longer saber through his chest, listening to make sure the life had gone out of him before she dropped him.

She gestured to the 501st troops behind her to follow, and together they began to push back the stormtroopers. Ahsoka shielded her troops from the fire, and the clones found their marks much easier with the rogue Jedi by their side. After pushing further down the corridors, Ahsoka and her troops managed to lock down the sector, leaving less ground that the Imperials could gain. They were doing well, but then Ahsoka felt a massive disturbance in the Force. It was dark and cold, and reverberated with a familiar energy, but she could not put her finger on where she had felt it before. She and her troops continued on, rounding the corner to find the source of the disturbance. She was met with a tall, pale human, wrapped in a dark cloak. His eyes were a pale yellow, and upon seeing her, he brushed back his cloak to reveal his left arm was cybernetic. The skeletal arm rose in the air, igniting two crimson blades in the form of a claw. The Inquisitor got into his battle stance, and Ahsoka did the same. She ordered her troops to continue fighting against the Stormtroopers. After they left, the Inquisitor made the first move, lunging at the Tortuga in an attempt to stab her with the claw. She raised her shoto, deflecting the attack, and swept horizontally at his exposed midsection with her main saber. To her surprise, the Inquisitor ignited another saber and blocked her attack. He forced her back, and she got a good look at his saber. It had a strange grip, and a semi-circular handguard. The Inquisitor stabbed at her with his saber then feinted and swiped at her with the claw. The tactic worked, and Ahsoka felt searing pain where the claw grazed her. The Inquisitor grinned upon seeing her wince in pain. Ahsoka blocked a downward swipe from the claw, and jabbed her shoto in between the blades. She brought it down the length of his arm, rendering the claw useless. The Inquisitor frowned, taking advantage of the Tortuga's momentary distraction to stab her in the thigh with his saber.

Ahsoka screamed as the pain shot up her body. She fell to the ground, dropping her sabers. She gasped in pain as the Inquisitor pointed his saber at her neck. She felt the heat of the blade as she looked up at the Inquisitor, smiling stupidly. Her mind raced for a way out of this, when she heard something. _Thunk, thunk, thunk._ It was coming from down the corridor _Thunk, thunk, thunk_. And it was getting closer. The Inquisitor turned his lightsaber towards the mysterious noise, paying Ahsoka no mind. The source of the noises turned the corner, the heavy metal boots making a loud _clank_ on the floor. It stood well over two meters tall, and was fully armored with sturdy black plates. A black cape was fastened around the shoulder plate, and the helmet resembled the ancient Sith war armor. Vader's mechanical wheezing and the hum of the Inquisitor's lightsaber seemed to be the only sound in the hallway, the noise of the battle had faded away. The Inquisitor appeared pleased, and bowed to Vader. In response Vader ignited his lightsaber.

This saber was not his usual saber, it was even longer and was connected to the armor's right wristguard by a power cord. The need for extra power to be supplied soon became apparent, as two extra blades of energy jutted out of the sides of the saber, forming a handguard. In response, the Inquisitor put his saber straight out in front of him, igniting a second blade. The handguard became a full circle, and the blades began to spin around the handle. The Inquisitor lunged at Vader, managing to slice into his left shoulder with his spinning blade. Vader knocked the blade away, swiping at the Inquisitor and tearing off his jaw with one of his quillions. The Inquisitor did not mind, as that, too, had been cybernetic. After exchanging a few more blows, The Inquisitor finally found an opening in Vader's defense. Stepping back for just a second, the Inquisitor lunged forward, stabbing Vader in the midsection.

"No!" Ahsoka screamed, as Vader simply looked down at where the lightsaber stuck into him. The Inquisitor did not have time to celebrate his victory, because Vader suddenly grabbed his head with both hands and crushed it. Gore splattered his helmet as the Inquisitor fell, his lightsaber deactivating. Vader clutched his side, pulling away a small amount of blood. He righted his breathing, stood upright as if nothing had happened, and strode towards Ahsoka.

"Are your injuries severe?" Vader asked her, his flitered voice masking any emotion.

"Not as severe as yours!" Ahsoka gasped. "You need help!" She tried to stand, but could not.

"I will survive until this battle is over. Then I will worry about medical attention." Vader said. He punched a code into his control panel, located on his wrist, and ordered a squadron of clones to come assist Ahsoka. She began to protest, but was cut off by a squadron of stormtroopers coming down the hall. They aimed their blasters at the pair, but Vader did nothing. Right before they could fire, one turned his blaster on the trooper next to him, shot him in the head, grabbed his blaster and shot the rest of the stormtroopers dual wielding.

The traitor tossed away both spent blasters and removed his helmet. "E-11s are no good for dualing." Rex said. "You look like a massive tinnie, sir."

Ahsoka was overjoyed to see he had survived. He was much older than the other clones, having been with Vader all those years instead of going into carbon freeze like the rest of the 501st.

"It's good to see you made it, Captain." Vader said. "Now that you have been secured we can crush this pitiful force."

Vader turned, his cape swishing behind him. He quickly looked down at Ahsoka before striding off. Rex stayed with Ahsoka until the clones came to take her to the medbay. Vader went to the top of the spire, standing up on the roof and looking up at the Star Destroyer. He felt his suit's systems tending to his wound, closing it up and flooding it with bacta. He channeled all the rage he could muster, letting the Dark Side fill and consume him, and channeled all that rage towards the orbiting star destroyer. It was at the very edge of what he could sense, but it was there. A wave of hatred flowed through him, and he tightened his fist, He slammed it down, pulling the Star Destroyer out of its orbit, and damaging the reactor core so it could not correct itself. Explosions rocked the massive ship as it fell, plummeting towards its doom. It continued its descent, finally touching down in the north. The explosion was so massive that Vader's armor closed the blast shields on his eyes. Turning away towards the elevator, Vader returned to the inside of the castle. His work out here was done. Now it was time to wipe out the rest of the pathetic stormtroopers the Emperor had sent to test his strength.

Ahsoka watched Vader stride back into the medbay, His suit covered in scratches and his cape in tatters. He unfastened it, letting it slide to the ground. A hatch in the back of the suit opened, and Vader climbed out. He was paler than usual, and his wound, while partially treated, was caked in blood. His black jumpsuit stuck to him around it, but the bleeding appeared to have stopped.

Once Vader was out of his suit, he began to stumble before collapsing. He was placed on an operating table so the medical droids could treat him right. Ahsoka climbed out of bed, leaning on her uninjured leg. She stood over him, now able to fully see the severity of the wound. It was a large hole, near his stomach. The cauterization had made it harder to treat, and somehow it appeared to be partially healed.

Vader opened his eyes, smirking at the concerned expression on Ahsoka's face.

"Something wrong, Snips?" Vader said, as if they were still fighting in the clone wars, as if those ten years had never passed.

"N… Nothing." Ahsoka said. "That was stupid and reckless. Why did you let him strike you?"

"The suit needs work. I need to strengthen the armor and tune the servos finer. It didn't work like it was supposed to. No matter." Vader said, sitting up as the medical droid finished patching him up.

Ahsoka looked at the bulky suit, which was being carted away. "What _is_ that?"

"It's an exoskeleton. I designed it." Vader said, standing up, much to the medical droid's chagrin. Vader waved it off, taking two uneasy steps before he could walk normally. "After I… after the attack on the Jedi temple, I was sent to kill the separatist leaders. Obi-wan followed me, as I had forseen. I had also seen that at the end of our duel, I would lose my remaining limbs and be burned alive. Due to this foresight I was able to avoid that outcome."

"But what does that have to do with the armor?" Ahsoka asked.

"Ah, yes. I wasn't the only one to have that vision. I found a file belonging to the Emperor for a life support suit that I would wear in that case. It was an old model, in fact most of the technology had been used to create General Grievous years before. I copied the plans, improved them, and eventually ended up with that exoskeleton. I call it the Juggernaut."

"It certainly looks like one." Ahsoka said.

Vader left the medical center with Ahsoka in tow, and continued discussing the plans.

"Now that this crisis is over I need you to contact Senator Organa and the Delegation of One Thousand. Palpatine had told me that they were planning a rebellion. Let's hope he was right." Vader said.

"What do you have planned for Senator Organa? Why do you want a rebellion so much?"

Vader turned to her. "Because I'm going to use them to find my daughter."

The High Inquisitor brought the blade of his saber down on the young girl, expecting her to dodge. Instead, she brought her own up to block, pushing the blade to the side and stabbing at his midsection. He quickly switched on the second blade, blocking the strike in a clash of crimson. He struck her across the back of the head, his metal fingers drawing a bit of blood and knocking the girl to the ground.

Leia looked up at him with anger in her eyes. She stood, exhausted from the training. The High Inquisitor extinguished his blades, and his pupil did the same.

"Very good," He said, his large yellow eye scanning her. "Your Master will be pleased."

Leia was dismissed, and immediately took a speeder from the Inquisitorium to her Master's palace. The guards recognized the young girl, stepping aside and letting her pass. Leia could sense the echoes of turmoil and pain still etched into the walls. Pain caused by Darth Vader. She approached the Emperor's throne, kneeling down before him.

"What brings you here, my apprentice?" The Emperor asked of her, barely even looking up to see her.

"I bring you a report of my progress, Master." Leia said. "I am growing much, much stronger."

The Emperor rose, turning his back on his apprentice. "I sense much weakness in you. You still have much to learn. Begone."

Leia's fists clenched in anger. Overcome with rage, she jumped at the Sith Lord, igniting her saber mid-flight. Palpatine turned, raising a hand to knock her away. Leia smashed into a pillar, her saber shutting off as it left her hand. The Emperor's hood had been blown off, which revealed to Leia the shocking sight of mostly brown hair on his head. Now that she was made aware of it, she noticed his face had far fewer wrinkles as well.

"What _are_ you?" She asked him, as he approached her.

"I?" He asked, an evil smile appearing across his features. "I am the ultimate Sith."

Cackling madly, he then began to engulf her in a storm of Force Lightning. Leia screamed through the crackling of the lightning and the cackling of her master.

The contact had been made, and the seeds of rebellion had been planted. Vader stood in his chambers, looking out at the desolate landscape below, including the crashed Star Destroyer. All he had to do now was wait.


End file.
